American Tire Distributors Holdings Inc. (ATD) again is expanding in Canada. And after three years of rapid growth there, the company is rebranding its Canadian wholesale business beginning in February 2015.
TriCan Tire Distributors Inc. (TriCan), a wholly-owned subsidiary of ATD, purchased Integra Tire and Auto Centers (Integra), based in Edmonton, Alberta. Integra is an affiliated store program with more than 80 locations across Canada.
David Cosco, the founder, CEO and president of Integra for the past six years, says, "Joining forces with TriCan is a very positive step for the Integra brand. The national footprint, combined with the resources of this large and growing distributor, will create tremendous opportunities for the business owners participating in the Integra affiliated store program."
Cosco has resigned his leadership positions with Integra, but will continue to operate his six retail locations as Integra-affiliated stores.
Mike Kustra, president of TriCan, says, "The Integra brand will be an excellent addition to the TriCan portfolio. The Integra program aligns perfectly with our marketing goals."
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
In addition, TriCan announced the launch of National Tire Distributors (NTD.) NTD will combine these nine current wholesalers under a single name: TriCan, RTD, WTD, Hercules, Kipling Tire Wholesale, Tireco Wholesale, Kirk's Tire Wholesale, Trail Tire Distributors and Extreme Wheel.
NTD will be based out of Burlington, Ontario, with regional offices in Edmonton, Alberta; St. Laurent, Quebec; Dartmouth Nova Scotia; and Burlington, Ontario. Combined, NTD includes more than 1.6 million square feet in 25 distribution centers, with 60 territory managers and 80 customer service representatives.
"The NTD brand effectively takes the best of the value added tools and services from each of the originating companies' to our large network of tire retailers," Kustra says. "This new name proudly symbolizes the company's goal of being Canada's leading service profider in the tire distribution segment in all markets served, nationally, regionally and locally."
NTD will roll out an online ordering interface that it says will "revolutionize" the tire retailer's interaction with the consumer. The program will be a "major focus" of NTD in 2015, and the pilot will begin in the spring.
Read more about ATD's acquisitions in Canada.
